Southport’s meeting with Peterborough Sports was abandoned midway through the second half after persistent rain left the Haig Avenue pitch unplayable. Standing water in the corner of the Scarisbrick New Road End, where it meets the Popular Side, once again proved the decisive factor.

The match had begun on a high for the Sandgrounders. With just a minute on the clock, Jordan Slew pounced to give the hosts an early lead, settling any nerves against the division’s bottom side. By the half-hour mark the advantage had doubled, Sonny Hilton adding a well-taken second as Southport went into the interval 2–0 ahead and seemingly in control.

At that stage, the surface was heavy but manageable. Yet as the second half unfolded, worsening conditions saw the ball repeatedly hold up in areas of standing water. Peterborough halved the deficit on 62 minutes, but attention was increasingly drawn to the pitch rather than the play. Their technical area was animated, management staff appealing for the game to be halted, and when referee Jacob Viera gathered both sets of players after 65 minutes it was clear a decision was looming.

After a ten-minute suspension, during which volunteers and staff worked tirelessly with equipment to clear the water, led by kitman Hamish Morton with a blotter, the inevitable call was made. Speaking afterwards to Radio Merseyside, Morton admitted the effort had been valiant but the referee was correct to abandon the contest.

The frustration was evident. Southport had been on course for a much-needed first win of the season, and with opponents sitting 24th, it felt like an opportunity lost. For Peterborough manager Phil Brown, it was a curious return to Haig Avenue, the ground where he suffered heartbreak on the final day of last season when his then Kidderminster side were denied promotion by a shock Southport win, a result that ultimately cost him his job.

Instead of three points, Southport are left with only frustration and a rearranged fixture to fit into an already busy schedule. For all the progress made on the field, the sight of that troublesome corner succumbing to the weather once again will be a bitter reminder of a problem that has dogged the ground for decades.